The 44th Annual Golden Joystick Awards announced Capcom's Resident Evil Requiem as the Ultimate Game of the Year winner for 2026. Resident Evil Requiem is the latest entry in the legendary survival horror franchise and was widely praised by critics and audiences alike for its stunning visuals, intense horror sections, action-packed sequences, and dual protagonists Grace Ashcroft and Leon S. Kennedy. While 2026 still has a number of gaming releases scheduled, including the impending juggernaut Grand Theft Auto 6, the voting cutoff date for the Golden Joysticks has played into Requiem's favor and granted it a major award show victory.
For decades, the Golden Joystick Awards has served as the premiere event for the video game industry to celebrate excellence in development, with dozens of award categories highlighting the best and brightest titles in a given year. The ceremony originally separated Game of the Year winners by release platform, such as PlayStation 2 Game of the Year and GameCube Game of the Year. The Ultimate Game of the Year category was added in 2006 and saw The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion taking home the inaugural prize. Now in 2026, Resident Evil Requiem has added itself to the long-running...
